Nice post! Sums up my feelings quite well when I am asked this question too. 
I hate that question. A nurse from my insurance company calls and asks âin the past week have you had any high or low readings?â My answer⌠yes, but I am diabetic. Itâs like they expect you to have perfect readings, if your trying to manage diabetes. My ENT just recently asked how my diabetes was doing and I repliedâŚstill there. I guess we just have to remind ourselves that you truly canât understand a disease or condition unless you have it.
LOL âhi or low readings, no #$%! Sherlockâ. I think really what they want to do is trick you into saying ânopeâ so they can cut the number of strips they pay for?
I know exactly how you feel. I do an eyeblink every time while I figure out what to say.
Physicians donât have a clue what goes on in our minds. I have answered with my A1c since I think theyâve learned about that. I have also considered writing an article for the JAMA on the questions asked of PWD in offices around the country and what the PWD is thinking. We could all get together and write one. We could give them a load of education!
I know why the ophthalmologist, a dear friend, asks it. I know why the rheumatologist, a dear friend, asks it. They go into standard mode of questioning, and the spot to answer it is even on their laptops now. But the question catches me off guard every time they ask it. When I hear them with other patients and they ask it, I hear them go on with the next question, When was the last time you saw Dr so and so? After that, âAnd what did he say about your blood sugar level?â After that, âok, letâs take a look at âŚâ.
I love this post because I can relate! I usually just say âfineâ and thatâs enough for them.
I was just talking about this with my fiance, and he said he thought a better answer would be âI have my ups and downsââŚhaha.
Love this post also.
How about when they ask what your BG was this AM say 10 and see if they notice. Iâve never seen a meter that could give a reading that low, but it might make their eyes pop out. Maybe.
Mary
Iâve seen 11 and 12 on my meter a few times.
I donât know what theyâre expecting, but if asked I just do a finger-stick test and tell them.
What about changing doctors Nicole? You have to feel good with your doctor.
http://patients.about.com/od/therightdoctorforyou/a/whychangedoctor.htm
That´s very true Trudy. Glad you take care to learn and have correct info.
Because you have uncontrolled diabetes would be a more accurate answer.
I beg your pardon? Type 1s have highs and lows whether their diabetes is âcontrolledâ or not. Which was my point.
Iâm not sure what part of âexcellent standard deviationâ translated to âuncontrolled diabetes would be a more accurate answerâ for you.
I agree. Good reminder.
I guess I have transitioned from a point in my life where I thought my doctor knew everything, to a point where I trust myself to make adjustments to my dosage even better, based on more details than I have time to explain to them in my 15 minute appointments. Right now, seeing my endo is just a means to an end so that I can get my Rx refilled. If I wanted more involvement from my endo, I probably would take the time to find a new one.
Iâm in the same position as joeynicole. I donât really âgo over thingsâ with my doctor (I donât see an endo), but just get prescriptions written and see him if I have other type problems.I make adjustments to my own doses as needed.
But in general I donât have an issue with this question the way many of you do. Iâm sure it depends on the context, and where you know the question is leading, but âhow are your blood sugars?â seems to me a general question, what interviewerâs refer to as an âopen-ended questionsâ. Similar to âhow are things going for you?â Open ended questions are actually great tools for letting the client or patient direct the discussion where they not the provider need it to go. I would vastly prefer that to anything specific such as âhave you had a lot of lows lately?â - because, I agree, Iâm a Type 1 - I have lows.
If someone asks me âhow are your blood sugars?â I donât see it as a judgmental question with a right (85 to 100 all the time) or wrong answer. I see it as an invitation to talk about what is going on for me in my management. Someone might say "well, my post prandials are great but I seem to go low before time for my next meal. (a great lead in to talking about basal tweaking) or âitâs odd but I have several days in a row where I have several highs both pp and in between and then several days where the same doses produce lowsâ - a question Iâd love to bring up with someone in a position to comment.
But the fact that so many people have an issue with this question that I find somewhat innocuous, I think attributable to the fact that most docs and even endos really donât get Type 1 and how truly variable blood sugars can be no matter how well you âmanageâ it. If they did, then I think an open-ended question like that would be a useful lead in to discuss the specifics in control we each wanted some input to.
Be nice - J. Claudio is brand new and made a rookie mistake.
Maurie
i know its crazy! its like a nicety⌠like exchanging hellos⌠good morning, how are you? im fine how are you?
hi, how are your sugar, good how are you?
urgh!
DiabetesMine had a great post a while ago, something like âItâs contextual, stupid.â That about sums it up.
I bring charts from CareLink. The endo cannot even read them. Once in awhile, the charts are stuck in my chart. It is a stupid question to ask a T1.
I agree with you Joeynicole, my son has only had diabetes for 2.5 years but already feel i am his best âdoctorâ, I have been thinking of trying a new endo at joslin in boston to see if i get a different feel, but the day to day stuff itâs all our own call. this site makes me feel like i am not in it all alone anyways!
There are nine equates for contented living.
Health enough to make work pleasure
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength enough to battle with difficulties
and forsake them
Grace enough to confess your sins and over come
them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is
accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your
neighbour.
Love enough to move you to be useful
and helpfull to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of GOD.
Hope enough to remove all anxious fears
concerning the future.